Shoe and method of making the same



Nov. 1, 1938. CAVANAGH 2,135,170

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Oct. 19, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet lJ. CAV'ANAGH SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING-THE SAME Nov. 1, 1938.

Filed 001;. ,19, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 JJCAVANAGH SHOE AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME Filed Oct. 19, 1936 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Nov. 1,1938. .1.cAvANA'GH r 2,135,170

SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Oct. 19,1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNl-TED STATES 2,135,170 SHOE AND METHOD OF MAKINGTHE SAME James Cavanagh, Cohasset, Mass., assignor to United ShoeMachinery Corporation, Paterson, N. J., a. corporation of New JerseyApplication October 19, 1936, Serial No. 106,304 I 8' Claims.

This invention relates to shoes and to methods of making the same.

Objects of the invention are to-enable well lasted shoes to be made,even by unskilled operators, without the use of special'and expensivemachinery.

In one aspect the novel method consists in preliminarily attaching the.lasting'allowance of an upper to the margin of an extensible insolememher or lasting member with the inner edge of the lasting allowance inpredetermined relation to said member, such preliminary attachment beingpreferably efiected by theuse'of cement, then permanently attaching theupper to the insole member, for example by a seam uniting the inner edgeof the overlasted margin of the upper to the insole member, and placingthe upper and insole member upon a last of a size such that in drawingthe upper over it the insole member will be stretched and extended. Theinsole member or lasting member is preferably resilient, especially in acrosswise direction, and when thus placed under tension tends to holdthe upper in intimate conformity to the last. Not only may the forepartor vamp portion of a shoe upper be lasted in the above described manner,but also the heel or quarter portion of the shoe may be lasted in a'similar manner, the difference being that in that case the inturnedmargin of the counter as well as the upper and lining will be secured tothe extensible insole ,member. This method is particularly adapted formaking sandals or shoes of the type known as open shank shoes in whichthe vamp and quarter portions of the upper are separated by a space inwhich there is no upper material.

In the manufacture of sandals in which a substantial portion ofthe upperis composed of straps the ends of which extend over the margin of thelast bottom, the strap ends which are opposite each other may beconnected by a strip or tape of elastic material prior to the placing ofthe upper upon a last. The straps may then be forced over a last with aninsole thereon, the elastic material connecting the strap ends beingthus stretched and the straps placed under ten sion and held in lastedposition by the tendency of the elastic members connecting them tocontract.

amount all the way' around its periphery, the sides of the last adjacentto the bottom being cut away to produce this result. An elastic insolemember fitting the first last is provided and a shoe upper, for examplethe upper of a pump, is placed upon the last, lasted over intocontactwith the elastic insole member and secured temporarily thereto, forexample, by cement. then withdrawn and the inner edge of the over lastedmargin of the upper is connected to the elastic insole member by a seam.A shank-andheel piece or a full-length insole is cemented on its outerface and placed in the shoe and a second last, which is the same size asthe first last before it was reduced is forced into the upper, therebycausing the elastic insole member to stretch and hold all portions ofthe upper tightly under tension and in conformity to the last. Anoutsole is then attached to the shoe, for example by usual cement soleattaching The last ismethods. The shoe is then finished in the usualmanner and the last withdrawn.

These and other features of the invention will now be described inconnection with the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, i

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the vamp portion of an 1 Fig. 4 is aperspective view of the quarter portion of an upper and insole aftertreatment in accordance with the method illustrated in Figs.

1, 2 and 3;

Fig.5 is aperspective view of a last and insole after the vamp andguarter portions of the upper have been drawn over it;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a completed shoe;

- Fig. '7 is a perspective view illustrating a modi-,

fied construction in which tapes attached to opposite sides of the upperare utilized to efiect a supplemental lasting operation at the forepartof the shank; I

Fig. 8 is a perspective view illustrating the application. of the methodof the presentinvention to the manufacture of strap shoes Fig. 9 is aperspective view of a first or pre- I liminary last to the bottom ofwhich an elastic insole has been fitted; v

Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the operation of lasting anupper over the last shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing the upper of Fig. 10 stitched tothe elastic insole and distended by inserting an insole and a normallast therein; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a completed pump shoe.

In carrying out the improved method of making shoes without the use ofelaborate machinery in accordance with the present invention, a pattern,for example of the vamp portion of an upper, is made from the last whichis to be used,

.the said pattern having a lasting allowance of predetermined widthrepresenting the portion which is to be disposed over the bottom of thelast. A vamp portion 2ll cut from such a pattern is illustrated in Fig.1, the lasting allowance being represented by the stippled marginalportion 22 to which cement such as latex may be applied. If desired, ofcourse, a corresponding lining 24 may be cut from the same pattern. Thevamp 20 may next be temporarily secured to an insole member or lastingmember26 which is shown in Fig. 2 as supported by a plate 28 one endportion of which is shaped to correspond to the shape of the insolemember 26 and the other end of which is wedge shaped and adapted to bereceived by suitable guides 30 vformed at the-upper end of a standard 32which may be secured in any suitable manner to a bench. The insolemember 26 is made of extensible material such as fabric, preferablymaterial which is re-.

'insole member made of such material is preferred. These materialscomprise rubber and are therefore expansible and highly resilient.However, where the word "rubber is employed in the appended claims, itis intended to include as equivalents such other materials as are welladapted to-perform the function of the insole member when employed forlasting shoes in accordance with my improved method. The insole member26 is cut smaller than the bottom of the last which is later to be usedin making the shoe by the, amount which it is desired to have the insolemember stretched when the vamp is later placed upon a last. Of coursethe greater the amount of stretch thus allowed for, the' greater will bethe tension applied to the lasted upper. .r

The insole member 26 is placed upon the support 28 and cement like thaton the vamp applied to the marginal portion 34 of the insole member.Preferably the insole member 26 is provided with marks 36 located apredetermined distance from its edge equal to the width of the lastingallowance 22 provided on the vamp 20. The vamp 20 is now applied to theinsole member 26 with the edge of the lasting allowance coincident withthe marks 36 and is held preliminarily thereto 7 by means of thecemented surfaces 22 and 34.

While in some instances such cement may be relied upon to hold the upperand insole permanently together, it is preferred in most instances toremove the vamp and insole member 26 from the support 28 and permanentlyto connect the inner edge of the vamp and the insole member 26 by a.through-and-through seam 38, the parts at this stage of the operationbeing represented in Fig. 3.

In preparing the rear or quarter portion of the shoe, a similar methodmay be followed, the result being shown in Fig. 4 where 40 representsthe. quarter portion of the upper and 42 the elastic insole member. Thequarter 30 may, of course, be provided with the usual counter andlining, and the quarter, the counter and the quarter lining may besecured to the insole member 42 by a seam 44. A last 46 for which thevamp 20 and the quarter 46 were designed may now be provided with aninsole 48 (Fig. 5) and the prepared vamp 26 and quarter 40 drawnrespectively over the toe portion and the heel por tion of the last 46.In pulling the vamp portion 20 over the forepart of the last thestretching. of the insole member 26 will apply suitable lasting tensionto the vamp 20, and in drawing the 20 and quarter 46 thereoverso thatthe insole members 26 and 42 will be caused to adhere permanently to theinsole. Theshoe illustrated in Fig. 5 has an open shank and hence it isdesirable to provide finished edges on the insole.

where it is exposed at the shank. As illustrated,

the shank portion of the insole is cut wider at the shank portion thanis necessary to cover -.the

bottom of the last and these extensions are skived to a thin edge andfolded back upon themselves and preferably over a cord 50 to provide afinished edge on the insole. The folded-in portions of the shank 'of theinsole are held in place by cement and the insole is provided-with theusual steel shank stiffener 52. The shoe, as illustrated in Fig. 5, isnow ready to have the upper roughened and the sole 54 attached by theusual cement sole attaching methods, as shown in'Fig. 6,

where also a heel 56 has been applied in the usual manner. As shown inFig. '7, it is not necessary that the insole 48 extend beyond the ballline of the shoe; the insole member 26 then serves as the insole at theforepart of the shoe, the insole covering only the heel and shankportion of the last and having its forward portion 58 skived to a thinedge at its forward end. A sock lining may, of course, be used ifdesired.

In order to facilitate the tight lasting of the rear portions of thevamp where they come so near together that there is less opportunity forthe extensible material connecting them to stretch, tapes 60 and 62 maybe attached to the edges of the upper adjacent to the end portion 58 oftheshort insole and these tapes may be tensioned and knotted at 64 tohold the upper in lasted position, the excess tape material beyond theknot being removed.

In Fig. 8 is illustrated the manner of procedure when the portion of thevamp is composed of a series of straps 66 the ends of which extend overstraps it is provided with a finished edge or binding 10.

In adapting the present method to the manufacture of pumps it has beenfound desirable ,to

modify the procedure in the following manner: In Fig. 9 a last 12 isillustrated the bottom of which has been reduced in size by removingmaterial from the sides of the last all the way around, the originaldimensions of the last being indicated in dot-and-dash lines 14. Theamount of this reduction is shown. as uniform entirely around the'lastbut of course the amount of reduction may be varied as a'whole or atdifferent portions of the last to meet varying conditions. An insolemember 16 of elastic material is cut to fit the bottom of the last 12. Apump upper 80 which has been cutfrom patterns designed for a lastsimilar to the last 12 before it was reduced is provided with the usuallining 82 and counter 84 and applied to the last 12 and insole member'16, as shown in Fig. 10. The upper is then worked over the last bottomby hand or otherv wise, cement having been applied to the parts asshould come on the. insole member may be used before explained to causethe upper to adhere temporarily 'to the insole member. Marks 18 toindicate where the edge of the lasting allowance but with a first lastproperly reduced are unnecessary.

The first last 12 is removed from the upper and insole member andpreferably a seam 86 (Fig. 11) sewed to connect the edge of the upper 80to the insole member all the way round theshoe bottom. A second last 88is provided which is like that for which the upper 80 was designed andis not reduced as is the first last 12. An insole 90, or shank-and-heelpiece only if desired, has cement applied to its outer face and isplaced in the shoe. The second last 88 is then inserted in the shoe, theupper being drawn tightly to the last by the stretching of the insolemember 16 necessitated by the insertion of the second last which, ofcourse, has sufiiciently greater dimensions in the region adjacent tothe insole to cause such stretching of the insole member 16 to occur.When the cement between the insole and themsole member sets, the insolemember is held in its stretched condition. An outsole 92 and a heel 94may be applied to the shoe in any preferred manner; for example, thesolemay be cement-attached or may be attached by throughand-throughstitches. Cement-attachment of the outsole may be done while the shoe isonthe last and the cement-attachment of the upper to the outsole ofcourse holds the insole member in stretched condition whether or not afull insole or a heel-and-shank piece has been put into the shoe priorto the insertion of a last.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desiretosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding afirst and a second last, the lasts being substantiallyidentical except that the first last has the area of its bottom reducedby removing a predetermined portion from its periphery, assembling onthe first last an upper cut for the second last and an insole member outto fit the bottom of the first last, working the upper over upon thebottom of the insole member and securing it thereto, removing the firstlast, inserting the second last thereby placing the upperunder tension,and

attaching an outsole to the overlasted upper.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding a first last and a second last, the first last differing fromthe second last by having the area of its bottom reduced by removing apredeterminedportion from its periphery, assembling on the first lastanupper cut to fit the second lastand an insole member of resilientmaterial cut to fit the bot- :tom of the first last, working the upperover the bottom of the insole member and securing it thereto, removingthe first last, inserting the second last thereby stretching theinsole-member, and placing the upper under tension and attaching theoutsole to theoverlasted upper while the upper ,and insole member arestill in tensioned and stretched condition on the last.

3. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding an upper to fit a given last and having a suitable lastingallowance, connecting opposite side portions of said lasting allowanceby means of a highly resilient lasting member, comprising rubber, saidmember being smaller than the last bottom so that the girth of thecombined upper and'lasting member is less than the corresponding girthof said last, inserting the last into the upper to stretch said member,whereby the resilience of the member will tension the connected upperportions tightly on-the last, and then, while the upper isthus tensionedon the last, permanently attaching an outsole.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding an upper to fit a given last and having a suitable lastingallowance, connecting opposite side portions of said lasting allowanceby means of a highly resilient lasting member comprising rubber, saidmember being smaller than the last bottom so that the girth of thecombined upper and lasting member is less than the corresponding girthof the last, inserting into the upper a full-sized insole having theshape of the bottom of the last, inserting the last into the shoe tostretch said member, whereby the resilience of the member will tensionthe connected upper portions tightly against the last, and then, whilethe upper is thus tensioned on the last, permanently attaching anoutsole.

5. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists inproviding an upper tofit a given last and having a suitable lastingallowance, connecting opposite portions of said last-.

ing allowance by means of a highly resilient lasting member comprisingrubber, said member being smallerthan the last bottom so that the girthof the combined upper and lasting member is less than the correspondinggirth of the last, insertcement on its outer face, inserting the lastinto the shoe to stretch said member, whereby the resilience of themember will tension the connected while the upper is thus tensioned onthe last, permanently attaching an outsole so that contraction of saidresilient member will be prevented when the last is removed.

6. That improvement in methods of making strap sandals which consists inproviding a vamp having a suitable lasting allowance and comprissilientmaterial, whereby the resilience of the material will tension theconnected straps tightly against thalast, and attaching an outsole tothe lasting allowance of the vamp while the vamp is .ing into the shoe afull-sized insole having active upper portions tightly against the last,and then,

under tension on the last so that contraction of said resilient materialwill be prevented when the last is removed.

'7. In a shoe, a highly resilient insole member comprising rubber instretched condition, an upper having its margin secured to the margin ofsaid member, and an outsole attached to-the marv gin of the upper andholding said member in stretched condition.

8. In a shoe, 9. highly resilient insole member comprising rubber instretched condition, an upper having its margin secured to the margin ofsaid member, an outsole cement-attached t0 the margin of the upper andholding said member in stretched'condition, and an insole cemented tothe inner surface oi. said insole member.

JAMES CAVANAGH.

